The Universal Literacy initiative's goal is to have all students reading on grade level by the end of the second grade, by 2026. The initiative takes a research-based, capacity-building approach by training educators to become Reading Coaches, who work with K-2 teachers individually and in groups on how to effectively teach children to read.…

The Utah state legislature established the Early Intervention Software Program ("EISP") to aid in the development of Utah students' literacy skills through computer-based, adaptive reading software programs designed to meet students' unique learning needs. The Evaluation and Training Institute (ETI) conducts an annual evaluation of how…

This article reports on a 4-year longitudinal study of the effects of Literacy Collaborative (LC), a school-wide reform model that relies primarily on the one-on-one coaching of teachers as a lever for improving student literacy learning. Kindergarten through second-grade students in 17 schools were assessed twice annually with DIBELS and Terra…

This article describes an independent assessment of the Fast ForWord Language computer-based training program developed by Scientific Learning Corporation. Previous laboratory research involving children with language-based learning impairments showed strong effects on their abilities to recognize brief and fast sequences of nonspeech and speech…

Discusses implementing and evaluating the effectiveness of literature circles with second grade students. Includes three student profiles. Finds that using literature circles can facilitate development of students' analytical skills. (NH)

This case study evaluated a second grade teacher and her students and the implementation of a conflict resolution program in the classroom; the goals of the evaluation were to provide descriptive data on the success or failure of the program and why those results occurred, and to make recommendations for program improvement. The study used…

A collection of materials related to the Virginia Beach Public Schools' 5-year plan to reduce the adult-pupil class ratio in kindergarten, first, and second grade is presented. The first section briefly provides a rationale, a discussion of related research, and a description of the implementation plan for the reduction of class size. Included are…

The Fairfax County, Virginia, Schools' Primary Mathematics Program (PMP) was re-evaluated to provide additional data on program effectiveness and to provide suggestions on future program development, implementation, and improvement. Seventy-one teachers in 14 schools implemented the pilot program. Evaluative data included interviews with 14…

Results are presented from the first two years of implementation of Detroit's Peer Teachers as Mirrors and Monitors Project. The data describe reading and mathematics achievement in grades 1-4 at two schools which participated in the project interventions, and one comparison school. Results indicate that: (1) teachers' appropriate use of time…